Or have they? A couple of days ago, as part of an ongoing trip down memory lane on Apple Music, I happened to be listening to a 1992 song by Fred Small, The Marine’s Lament. Since it’s only two minutes… Read More ›
Month: March 2022
New menu at Ashmont Grill!
The Ashmont Grill has a new menu! Admittedly the majority of the items on the menu are still the familiar old favorites, but plenty of new choices are available. It didn’t take much arm-twisting for Barbara and me to try… Read More ›
Learning Ukrainian: progress report #4
As you see from the title, this is the fourth of my weekly reports on my progress in learning Ukrainian through Duolingo. After today, I will switch to writing intermittent reports: i.e., whenever I have enough new to write about,… Read More ›
Just Thai
Delicious delivery from Just Thai Kitchen in Fields Corner last night: tom yum soup with extra shrimp; JTK wings; spring rolls; and stir-fried crispy pork-belly with Chinese broccoli in chili-garlic oyster sauce with white rice, more commonly known as Khao… Read More ›
Rod Stewart, Neil Young, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr. What do they all have in common?
No, it’s not what you think. Yes, all of them are (or were) very successful and popular musical artists. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m referring to the fact that all of them are (or were) model railroad… Read More ›
Can you multiply 2573 by 389?
Pencil and paper only: can you multiply 2573 by 389? No calculators. And you have to get the right answer, of course. This is not a trick. “Of course I can,” you reply. “That’s a skill one never forgets!” Well,… Read More ›
More chaos! More CatNet!
The second novel in a series is always worse than the first. Of course that’s not true—unless you replace “always” with “often” or perhaps even “usually.” Or perhaps the wishy-washy “sometimes.” All generalizations are false, as they say. Including this… Read More ›
Learning Ukrainian: progress report #3
We have, as they say, good news and bad news. The good news is that my Ukrainian lessons are progressing well in their third week. The bad news—speaking as a teacher—is that pedagogically speaking the lessons are not designed nearly… Read More ›
Why teach gerrymandering? And why teach it in a math course in particular?
Gerrymandering is a hot topic in certain circles. Right now I am in the midst of writing and modifying some gerrymandering activities for my summer course at Crimson Summer Academy (CSA). Although we have taught various voting methods since the… Read More ›
The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything* (*abridged)
Everyone needs to read this engaging, delightful, and informative book! Read it even if you’re not a math-and-science geek. Or maybe I should say especially if you’re not a math-and-science geek. Geneticist Adam Rutherford and mathematician Hannah Fry are well… Read More ›
Learning Ukrainian: progress report #2
It’s now one week since my first progress report. Apparently I’ve learned 95 new words in the past seven days. Duolingo previously said that I had learned 105 words in the first three days. Eek, am I slowing down? Aside… Read More ›
Are you smarter than a 7th grader?
Tip of the hat to Tanya Khovanova for sharing this problem: Is it possible to place seven points on a plane so that among any three of them, two will be at distance 1 from each other? This comes from… Read More ›
In praise of Omniglot
What, you may ask, is Omniglot? Well, the name gives it away (or hints at it, at least). Latin omni- ‘all, every’ followed by Greek glot- ‘tongue, language’ tells you that it has something to do with every language. And… Read More ›
More deliciosity from AG
Last night deserved another dinner at the Ashmont Grill—first time without masks in a couple of years! Barbara started with an “appetizer-sized” portion of three delicious barbecued pork belly sliders with mango BBQ glaze, shaved romaine, and pickled onions. Clearly… Read More ›
This is one movie that is better than the book, right? Wrong.
Nope, not this one. The Bone Collector is a good book by Jeffrey Deaver—not his best by a long shot, but pretty good—and it’s a disappointing movie even though it stars Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, and Queen Latifah. I read… Read More ›
Learning Ukrainian: progress report #1
Today is Exelauno Day, so named because “Exelauno” means “march forth” in ancient Greek. My Greek 2 teacher used to celebrate it because he had gone to Roxbury Latin School, where it is (or at least was) an official holiday…. Read More ›
CatNet
Yes, I occasionally read YA novels. Maybe one or two a year. Perhaps it’s because I’m a teacher of young adults; there are certain Young Adult novels that give the reader insight into these fascinating creatures, just as there are… Read More ›
Cats on ottoman
Apparently there’s plenty of room for both boy cats on the ottoman:
Learning Strategies 